In an earlier version of this report, MBLM gave the incorrect time period in the second paragraph. This has been corrected.

Intimate brands, those with the rare ability to elicit an emotional response in their customer, are better business performers than brands that lack that bond, according to a new study.

The Brand Intimacy 2015 Report, conducted by brand agency MBLM, found the leaders in that category generated an average of 5% more revenue growth and 11% more profit growth than the S&P 500 index
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in the period from 2005 to 2014. That’s equal to an average of $33 billion a year in revenue for the top brands, and more than $9 billion in average annual profit, the report found.

The study analyzed responses from 6,000 consumers and 52,000 brand evaluations across nine industries in the U.S., Mexico and the United Arab Emirates, and scored them based on five criteria. It produced some surprising findings—the top-performing industry in the U.S. was the automotive sector, suggesting the scandals of the last several years that have led to massive recalls and huge fines for some big players have failed to dent enthusiasm for cars. (The Volkswagen AG
VLKAY, -1.39%VOW3, -1.67%
emissions scandal falls outside of the scope of the report).

“We like the fact that we had surprises,” said Mario Natarelli in a phone interview with MarketWatch, managing partner at MBLM, who said companies need to better understand the psychology of how their customers make decisions, which is mostly based on emotion.

“Intimacy is rare, only a quarter of companies can claim it,” he said. “Those that reach that point have a lot of great business values, their employees are well taken care of, they have figured out how to promote that, and their product works well. If you have an intimate brand, you are probably performing well.”

MBLM’s U.S. list

Some of the winners are names that regularly pop up in lists of top brands, including number one across the three markets, Apple Inc.
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Rival Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
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takes 10th place on the U.S. list and is the only other tech company to make the top 10.

But among the more surprising findings, General Motors Co.’s
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truck-making division GMC ranked ninth in the U.S. top 10, scoring highly with women as well as men, who were drawn to its SUVs and other family-oriented products. “GMC is building equity with female buyers, “ said Natarelli.

Harley-Davidson Inc.
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ranked fifth in the U.S. top 10, thanks to a small but passionate fan base. “We only measured users, so the sample is small but extremely devoted,” said Natarelli.

Startup ride-sharing service Uber ranked 14th in the U.S., shrugging off a string of recent bad publicity highlighting what seems to be the macho culture of its management and myriad regulatory issues.

“The perception of the brand may be negative, but the experience of how it works is really quite phenomenal,” said Natarelli. Other sharing economy apps, such as Airbnb, are also beginning to show up in the company’s research, he said.

The retail sector came in second place, followed by health & beauty in third.

Within retail, Target Inc.
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had a higher brand intimacy score than Wal-Mart Stores Holding Inc.
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About 10% of Target respondents said they were willing to pay 20% more for its products.

FactSet

Target beats Wal-Mart for brand intimacy and stock performance

The travel & leisure industry was the poorest performer, another surprise for MBLM. The problem may be that people take vacations in small doses and they tend to sample, rather than stick with the one place or brand. But the agency was surprised that brands like the Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton hotels did not fare well in any of the three markets, not even in the U.A.E., home to upscale shopping and night life mecca, Dubai.

“We didn’t see as much luxury or bling in Dubai as we thought we would,” said Natarelli.

In fact, the fifth most intimate brand in the U.A.E. was Dove, the soap, shampoo and other personal care products company that is part of Anglo-Dutch giant Unilever PLC
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Dove also ranked in 10th place in Mexico.

“Big surprise,” said Natarelli. The company’s research found that men have a closer association with Dove than MBLM expected.

“It’s one you don’t think about, it’s there in the shower,” he said. “It’s a dependent, quiet staple.”

In the financial services sector, Chase
JPM, +0.42%
and Citi
C, +0.71%
are close competitors, with just two points difference between them, in favor of Chase.

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